VOLUME 16 | ISSUE 1
YEARBOOK
ZACH &MACK ATTACK
THE
MEET TWO YERDS WHO WORKED TOGETHER TO LEAD THEIR STAFF TO SUCCESS...
DIFFERENT EVERY YEAR AWARD-WINNERS GALORE GET IN CLOSE & MORE
YERD ALERT! ZACH AND MACK
ALL PHOTOS BY FRANK ARSICS
While they both acknowledge that they have very different personalities, Mackenzie Metcalfe and Zach Drake agree on many things. As co-Editors-in-Chief of the Aviary yearbook at Hillgrove HS in Powder Springs, GA, they worked together to create a book of memories for their school. Mackenzie’s organized and she tracked her team’s progress with outlines, systems and checklists while Zach’s a dynamic leader who is more artsy and has lots of great ideas. Together, they dealt well with all kinds of people and situations; they’re proud of their book and they are friends. Mackenzie actually began in yearbook first. As a sixth grader, her mother (a former high school yerd and EIC) suggested she get involved. “I loved it from the start,” Mackenzie said. “It was great to create a team, brainstorm the project and then make it all happen.” After three years of middle school yearbook, she rejoined yearbook at the next level. “I had three more great years in high school.” And she’s not finished with yearbook; she’s at Ole Miss this fall and she tracked the staff application process from afar. “Applications were scheduled to be out right after we arrived on campus,” she said. “That was perfect!” Zach’s experience in yearbook started on the advice of his guidance counselor. He transferred to Hillgrove as a sophomore and, because he’d previously taken courses in graphic design and photography, he was pointed toward yearbook to fill his schedule. “I got way more out of it than I expected,” he said. “When I got in there, I could see it was something I wanted to be more involved with.” Ambitious from the start, Zach worked to be known as a staffer who contributed and was willing to do more. He found opportunities to grow as a leader and is now building on his yearbook experiences at Kennesaw State University where he’s majoring in Organizational Communication.
It was great to create a team, brainstorm the project and then make it all happen.”
Training, brainstorming and working with their staff to meet deadlines, traveling to New York City for the CSPA convention (where they served as Yerds in a Herff Jones focus group) and touching the book their team created for the first time are among the memories that mark the friends’ year as co-EICs. “It’s hard to decide which was cooler,” they said. “Watching our classmates enjoy the yearbook we created for them, knowing we sold out of yearbooks or sharing our work with the principal.” After their first peek at the book and the preview they shared with other staffers, Mack and Zach took a walk with their book. They hand-delivered a copy to Principal Robert Shaw. “It was cool to hear his reactions,” said Mackenize. He loved it, according to Zach. And the friends, who say they’ll stay in touch through college and beyond, agree on at least one other point. Co-editors hadn’t been the norm at Hillgrove, but adviser Dave Thomas thought 2011 was a year when it would work. “The process and the product were both better (because of it),” they claim. “The staff saw us a team; they knew we were in it together.”
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Kimberly D. Hanzo
LAYOUT EDITOR Matt Leighton
COPY EDITOR
Ann Akers
DESIGNERS
Erin Doran, Nichole Mango, Kerri Mills and Evan Modesto
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Kathy Daly, Herff Jones Special Consultant Paul Ender, Herff Jones Special Consultant Gail Kirkland, yearbook adviser Daviess Co. HS, Owensboro, KY Amy Morgan, yearbook adviser Shawnee Mission West HS, Overland Park, KS Linda Puntney, Herff Jones Special Consultant Eric Thomas, yearbook adviser St. Teresa’s Academy, Kansas City, MO Cortney Weisman, yearbook adviser Ward Melville HS, East Setauket, NY Brian Wilson, yearbook adviser Waterford Kettering HS, Waterford, MI Tim Yorke, yearbook adviser Heritage HS, Leesburg, VA
HJ LOCATIONS
Charlotte, NORTH CAROLINA charlotte@herffjones.com Gettysburg, PENNSYLVANIA gettysburg@herffjones.com Kansas City, KANSAS kansascity@herffjones.com Logan, UTAH logan@herffjones.com Montgomery, ALABAMA montgomery@herffjones.com Winnipeg, CANADA winnipeg@herffjones.com Herff Jones Yearbook Discoveries Volume 16 Issue 1 was produced electronically using Adobe® InDesign CS5.5, Adobe Illustrator® CS5.5 and Adobe Photoshop® CS5.5. This magazine was created on a Mac Pro, 2.66 GHz with 6 GB of RAM and printed by Herff Jones, Inc., at its Charlotte, NC printing facility. The cover was printed on White Vibracolor Endsheet stock using four-color process. The magazine pages were printed on 80# Premier stock using four-color process inks. The fonts used in Yearbook Discoveries Volume 16 Issue 1 were AHJ New Gothic and AHJ University Oldstyle. Herff Jones and the Herff Jones logo are registered trademarks of Herff Jones, Inc. Apple and Macintosh are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. Adobe and Photoshop are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems, Inc.
YEARBOOK
02
WHAT’S INSIDE
FEATURE
TOP NOTCH!!!
Once again, numerous books printed by Herff Jones were recognized for journalistic excellence. Check them out.
06 YEARBOOKONOMICS Running your staff like a business makes sense... and most
16 NO EXCUSE IS GOOD ENOUGH Deadlines can either make or break the book and the budget.
08 THE MOMENTUM MACHINE After high energy at summer workshops, other distractions vie
18 IT’S THE LAW Copyright has always been an issue for yearbook staffs, but
10 MULTIPLE PERSONALITIES Each volume’s look and feel should be specific to the school
20 LOOK BEYOND THE OBVIOUS Amazing stories surround you. By asking strong questions and
12 BULLSEYE! Consider this fun technique to get some different topics (and
22 CLUB YBK Make your after-school yearbook staff more powerful and united
14 CLOSE ENCOUNTERS Still think you can get great shots from a distance? Learn how
24 READERS NEED YOUR HELP Make your book easy to use by planning solid reader services.
successful businesses are customer-centric.
for attention. Here’s help with maintaining yearbook power.
year. See how changing things up makes a difference.
new people) in your yearbook.
to get maximum impact from your photo team.
today it’s more of a concern than ever.
then asking even more, you’ll find great stories abound.
by helping them bond as a team.
26
MORE THAN CONTEMPORARY
See what sets some of the freshest looking books apart.
DISCOVER MORE DOWNLOAD THE FREE MOBILE APP FOR YOUR SMARTPHONE AND ENJOY EXTRA CONTENT WHEREVER YOU SEE THIS TAG! >>
Decide now that deadlines will be met.
28 BEST ADVICE EVER Herff Jones’ national Advisers of the Year share tips for success. enohp ruoy ro f ppa elibo m eer f eh t teG
GO TO HTTP://GETTAG.MOBI
i b o mphone . ga t te g / /: p t th Get the free mobile app for your
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32 YBK ETC. Please, please, please stalk us on Facebook and congrats on some printing awards!
YE ARBOOKDISCOVERIES.COM VOLUME SIXTEEN ISSUE ONE
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As has been the case for more than a decade, Herff Jones continued with impressive showings when the national press associations presented top honors for 2010 yearbooks.
INSPIRED BY YOUR WORK
HERE ARE SOME STATS YOU MIGHT FIND INTERESTING: • Of 26 2010 NSPA PACEMAKERS, 12 WERE
PRINTED BY HERFF JONES. • Of 24 2010 yearbooks named CSPA GOLD CROWNS, 11 WERE PRINTED BY HERFF JONES.
• Of the 98 middle school, high school and university yearbooks named to either the Pacemaker Finalist or Crown Finalist list for books printed in 2010, HERFF
JONES PRINTED 47 (48%). • The 47 HERFF JONES YEARBOOKS recognized • Just 10 middle and high school books earned both a by ACP, CSPA and NSPA CAME FROM SCHOOLS Pacemaker from NSPA and a Gold Crown from CSPA. Of IN 13 STATES, were printed in FOUR DIFFERENT those, FOUR WERE PRINTED BY HERFF JONES. PLANTS and were serviced by 26 HERFF JONES • Herff Jones also led the list of BOOKS APPEARING REPS/OFFICES. ON BOTH THE CROWN FINALIST AND PACEMAKER FINALIST LISTS WITH 18.
Lion’s Den, Hyde MS, Cupertino, CA Tusitala, Bishop Amat Memorial HS, La Puente, CA [Now], Mirman School, Los Angeles, CA Wingspan, James C. Enochs HS, Modesto, CA Hartbeat, Thomas S. Hart MS, Pleasanton, CA The Patriot, Harvest Park MS, Pleasanton, CA The Pilot, Redondo Union HS, Redondo Beach, CA
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SILVER CROWN 2010 WINNERS
Summit, Smoky Hill HS, Aurora, CO Eques, Ponderosa HS, Parker, CO Teleios, Mount Paran Christian School, Kennesaw, GA Resumé, George Walton Academy, Monroe, GA Arbutus, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN Espirit de Corps, Eisenhower HS, Shelby Township, MI Westwind, West Henderson HS, Hendersonville, NC Reflections, Mauldin HS, Mauldin, SC Hawk, Pleasant Grove MS, Texarkana, TX The Hawk, Pleasant Grove HS, Texarkana, TX The Guardian, Westfield HS, Chantilly, VA
Odyssey, Chantilly HS, Chantilly, VA Cavalier, George Washington HS, Danville, VA The Journey, Heritage HS, Leesburg, VA The Buzzer, Brookville HS, Lynchburg, VA Selah, Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA The Clan, McLean HS, McLean, VA The Confederate, Lee-Davis HS, Mechanicsville, VA Theogony, Hidden Valley HS, Roanoke, VA
Teleios, Mount Paran Christian School, Kennesaw, GA Distinctive dividers utilize an array of bold graphics that distinguish those spreads from content pages.
Summit, Smoky Hill HS, Aurora, CO The book’s fourth divider includes a dominant display of the photo from the endsheet’s contents listing and a visibly logical progression. Resumé, George Walton Academy, Monroe, GA Reporting of traditional fall festival activities includes two supporting layers of story-telling coverage as well as the opportunity for inclusion of younger students in this K-12 book.
Crimson, duPont Manual HS, Louisville, KY This full-spread sports section profile addresses the unlikely pairing of stereotypes in the life of this football player who also has a 4.0 GPA. The Clan, McLean HS, McLean, VA A monthly divider bridges coverage in the combined events/activities section which includes student life, academic, sports and clubs stories.
GOLD CROWN 2010 WINNERS Titanium, Antelope HS, Antelope, CA TJ Yearbook, Toby Johnson MS, Elk Grove, CA Hoofprint, San Dieguito Academy, Encinitas, CA Rampages, Casa Roble HS, Orangevale, CA The Prowl, Powell MS, Littleton, CO Eagle Eye View, Sierra MS, Parker, CO Log, Columbus North HS, Columbus, IN Royal Purple, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS Crimson, duPont Manual HS, Louisville, KY Sentry, Robinson MS, Fairfax, VA Laconian, Salem HS, Salem, VA
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Rampages, Casa Roble HS, Orangevale, CA A series of fun, concept-driven “Open House” spreads broke the sectional design flow of this book with full-spread bleeds and masterful Photoshop effects.
Pilot, Redondo Union HS, Redondo Beach, CA The closing spread brings the theme full circle with photos representing each section and repetition of sectional titles. The theme’s verbal strength (highlighting the word RED inside the name of the school and then finding six sectional words that include the word in other ways) gave the concept incredible impact. North Star, Northside HS, Roanoke, VA While a significant anniversary might be a big event on campus, most students probably care more about the events of that school year (and pictures of themselves and their friends) being included in the yearbook. A dozen photos fill this spread in the feature magazine with lots of faces.
PACEMAKER 2010 WINNERS Titanium, Antelope HS, Antelope, CA Nugget, Cupertino HS, Cupertino, CA Volsung, Downey HS, Downey, CA Wingspan, James C. Enochs HS, Modesto, CA Rampages, Casa Roble HS, Orangevale, CA Pilot, Redondo Union HS, Redondo Beach, CA
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Currents, Westview HS, San Diego, CA Eagle Eye View, Sierra MS, Parker, CO Log, Columbus North HS, Columbus, IN Westwind, West Henderson HS, Hendersonville, NC Crag, Turner Ashby HS, Bridgewater, VA Odyssey, Chantilly HS, Chantilly, VA
Hoofprint, San Dieguito Academy, Encinitas, CA Since they were planning to include a mini literary magazine inside of the yearbook, the staff created a spread of solid black to frame the anthology of student works. The 16-page, 7 ¼˝ x 8 ¾˝ showcase includes essays, short stories and poetry, alongside drawings, paintings, photographs and images of 3D student projects.
SCAN THIS TAG OR VISIT HTTP://BIT.LY/OEHCHG TO VIEW MORE SPREADS FROM 2010 AWARD-WINNING BOOKS. Get the free mobile app for your phone
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Cardinal and Gold, Oxnard HS, Oxnard, CA Three additional layers of content (and a great inclusion device) supplement the headline’s strong verbal/visual link.
The Prowl, Powell MS, Littleton. CO “Connected 24/7” provided lots of logical coverage strategies. This block- by-block look at academics exemplifies their concept-driven coverage.
PACEMAKER 2010 FINALISTS Aerie, Brentwood School, Los Angeles, CA Cardinal and Gold, Oxnard HS, Oxnard, CA The Prowl, Powell MS, Littleton, CO Paragon, Munster HS, Munster, IN The Dragon, Johnston HS, Johnston, IA Crimson, duPont Manual HS, Louisville, KY Teresian, St. Teresa’s Academy, Kansas City, MO The Hawk, Pleasant Grove HS, Texarkana, TX Cavalier, George Washington HS, Danville, VA Sentry, Robinson MS, Fairfax, VA The Clan, McLean HS, McLean, VA Theogony, Hidden Valley HS, Roanoke, VA North Star, Northside HS, Roanoke, VA
UNIVERSITY PACEMAKER FINALISTS* Arbutus, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN Royal Purple, Kansas State University, Manahattan, KS Selah, Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA *2010 University Pacemakers will be announced for the first time in October at the ACP/CMA National College Media Convention in Orlando.
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As content begins to take shape, now is the perfect time to ask your staffers, “Are we giving readers a reason to buy our product?”
IT’S A
BUYER’S MARKET If it sounds like you walked into economics class instead of yearbook, read on. SAME OLD SAME OLD DOESN’T SELL. WHO WANTS THE 2011 YEARBOOK IN A 2012 COVER? FEW BUYERS CONTINUE TO PURCHASE THE SAME ITEMS OVER AND OVER. IF YOUR SALES HAVE SLUMPED, OR IF YOU HAVE WITNESSED INTEREST IN YOUR BOOK DWINDLING, IT’S TIME TO ANALYZE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN. Yearbooks are not immune to the economy. As competition for dollars continues to heat up, yearbooks compete with other discretionary items. One key to running a successful yearbook program is to make your product the must-have accessory of the year. It’s a simple retail philosophy.
MIND YOUR BUSINESS There is a growing number of yearbook CEOs (more commonly called advisers) who are taking an economist’s view of the product their companies (more commonly called staffs) are taking to market (more commonly called schools). This dollars-and-common-sense approach has led to an increased focus on content (what is actually being printed on the pages). CEOs ask themselves: Is the content new? Is it fun? Have we created a reason to buy our product? Have we created a desire among buyers (more commonly called students)? To establish and fund your in-school cottage industry, you need the financial support of your student body and
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advertising buyers. To borrow another line from that economics class: People vote with their dollars. When you offer your student body content which demands to be read, which captures the sights and sounds of the year in fresh and personalized ways, you have created a new reason to buy your product. This is the yearbook equivalent of supply and demand.
COMPETITION MAKES YOU STRONGER Competition is a good thing. If you take this belief to heart, you will focus on making content stronger and making sure students know your product is one of a kind. What if a sports team never competed? Would the players be strong? Would they try new plays to outwit the opposing defenses? When you feel the competition for dollars in your own budget, you will find your greatest offense is strong content.
GOOD JOURNALISM IS GOOD Modern journalism is fun, compelling, interesting and reader-centered. It is of
the moment and vibrantly appeals to popular interests. Too often, students hear “the j word” and envision columns of long-form narrative copy. While that text may be amazing, its effects are minimized if the visual presentation leaves something to be desired. In addition to traditional copy, the umbrella of journalism covers alternative forms of content such as quick-read blurbs, Q&As, photo stories and first-person accounts. Your buyers may respond to these forms because they can be more visually appealing, and are often easier to process.
WHATEVER WORKS There is more than one right way to produce a contemporary yearbook. Your school is like no other, and your yearbook should mirror that. Of-the-moment content fulfills both your journalistic and economic responsibilities, and helps you redefine what your yearbook is and see what a yearbook can be. In everyday terminology, it is simply creating books people want to buy. Times change. Yearbooks should, too.
READER RECOMMENDATIONS The yearbook staff at Altavista Combined School has been working hard to increase books sales — and they’ve sold out (including all available overruns!) for the past two years and increased their order at a time when lots of schools were struggling with book sales. Adviser Betsy Brittingham and her staff constantly ask their readers what they’d like to see in their yearbooks. They’ve employed surveys and informal focus groups, and they look for ways to include as many of the legitimate suggestions as possible. So, when they heard repeatedly that readers wished the yearbook looked “more cool” and “more like a magazine,” they created an extended features section with a fresh, contemporary design. The desire for stories “about life as it really was” was the catalyst for a feature on some local rappers hoping to make it big and one where a senior shared lessons he learned when a deer jumped in front of him causing an accident that totalled his car. Another little change that was suggested by readers and loved by the community involved picturing the winner in each senior superlative category and listing others who finished among the leaders. If something that small can make 91 people smile, that’s great! Nuntius, Altavista Combined School, Altavista, VA
YE ARBOOKDISCOVERIES.COM VOLUME SIXTEEN ISSUE ONE
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MAIN MOME KEEP THE ENERGY GOING AFTER WORKSHOPS END. PLAN NOW TO GET THE WHOLE TEAM ON THE SAME TRACK AND KEEP THE TRAIN MOVING.
SUMMER WORKSHOPS KICK OFF THE TRAINING, BRAINSTORMING AND CREATIVE PROCESSES FOR YEARBOOK STAFFS FROM COAST TO COAST. STAFFERS TREK OFF TO AN ARRAY OF WORKSHOPS RANGING IN SIZE, LENGTH AND INTENSITY. THEY’RE HELD IN HOTELS, AT HIGH SCHOOLS, ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES AND MORE.
ACTIVITIES TO INVOLVE NEW STAFF MEMBERS AND GET THEIR BUY-IN TO OUR THEME:
MY STAFF CHOOSES TO LIVE IN DORMS AT A FIVE-DAY “YERD-FEST” THAT’S JUST A COUPLE OF HOURS AWAY; THE WORKSHOP PUSHES THEM TO THE LIMIT WHILE PROMOTING TEAM BONDING AND CREATIVITY.
TEAM BONDING
TO KEEP THE MOMENTUM GOING, MY EXPERIENCED STAFFERS AND I HAVE COME UP WITH THE FOLLOWING
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ICE CREAM SOCIAL/MEET AND GREET At the beginning of August, new staff members are invited to an ice cream social to meet and get to know each other along with the editors and returning staff members. Yearbook is about producing a product the staff and entire student body is proud of, but it’s about having fun too. My staff works in teams, and every other week or so, we take a short break to celebrate our hard work. We go bowling, have dinners (catered or potluck) on work nights, exchange Valentines and Secret Santa gifts, celebrate not just birthdays, but more importantly, DEADLINE completion!
PRE-SCHOOL TRAINING In August, prior to the start of school, the staff attends a training session to recap yearbook basics, share and build theme, and work on team bonding. Lots of snacks, staff T-shirts and games are a must to really get the juices flowing!
CANDY JAR An absolute must for the publications lab. Staff members take turns replenishing the candy jar. I recommend a sugar-high every class! We keep a sign at the bottom when the jar runs out that says, “Candy Famine! Please refill!”
JAM SESH Yearbook wouldn’t be complete without jamming out to our favorite tunes on our iPods. We all know it can be stressful working to create a beautiful book and yearbook wouldn’t be complete without Bieber Fever.
NTAIN ENTUM BY TIM YORKE
REMEMBER, IT’S ALL ABOUT HAVING FUN.
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2009 | WITHIN The 2009 Eagle Eye View’s theme revealed traits of success. Students used words beginning with “in” to introduce each section of the book. The design was student-inspired during an InDesign lesson. The color bar idea came from a reference book in the library.
Above all, each volume is
COMPLETELY AND JED PALMER, WHO TEACHES AND ADVISES AT SIERRA MIDDLE SCHOOL IN PARKER, COLORADO, BEGINS EVERY YEAR WITH A ROOKIE YEARBOOK STAFF OF 25-28 EIGHTH GRADERS. YET HIS STUDENTS HAVE EARNED TOP NATIONAL AWARDS FROM BOTH NSPA AND CSPA, AS EACH YEAR THEIR BOOK HAS A DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT LOOK WHILE STILL ADHERING TO THE HIGHEST JOURNALISTIC STANDARDS AND REFLECTING THEIR SCHOOL. KD: What is one key to achieving a different look every year? JP: I teach the idea of theme, and we study books to see how a theme is carried out; then we brainstorm. We never look at past yearbooks for inspiration; instead, I require each student to compile a graphic notebook that involves a design idea hunt (magazines, college brochures, ads, etc.).
KD: Okay, that’s the basis for your inspiration. How do you get them to follow through?
JP: We don’t even work on the yearbook for the first six weeks of school (aside from photographing every day). Instead, they learn photography, design, interviewing, writing, InDesign and Photoshop. I use the HJ curriculum as well as information from online sites.
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BY KATHY DALY
KD: How do you keep the book fresh, yet consistent? JP: As the program improved, so did my ability to recruit top kids. And the consistency comes from my expectations. From day one, they hear, “We will accept nothing less than your best work. Do that and everything else takes care of itself.” I also never compare our current book to other years or other schools. KD: Your students’ photography is exemplary. What is one piece of advice you can give other advisers? JP: Shoot big. Shoot lots and lots of photos, all at high resolution. Teach the students to push the button over and over and over. You can always toss the bad ones, but you can’t recreate the event.
KD: One last tip to keep the look fresh? JP: When brainstorming, never look at other books, especially your own. And the verbal statement is key: come up with that and the design will come from it.
KD: What’s next? JP: T his year I am combining my yearbook, broadcast and website classes, and we are practicing convergent media. I’ll send students with still cameras, video cams and notepads to cover events together. I’m also adding around 20 seventh graders to my classes.
2010 | MEET ME IN THE MIDDLE In 2010, The View was a flip book that featured eighth graders from one direction and seventh graders from the other, and was inspired by ESPN magazine. Since almost all sports, clubs and classes were either seventh or eighth grade only, it allowed each student to open the book from his/her own vantage point.
2011 | FUSION Sierra Middle School merged the seventh and eighth grade elective classes for the first time last year, so the 2011 theme fit perfectly, offering a great transition from the “separate but equal” organization of the previous year’s book. Even the portrait section is alphabetical, not separated into grade levels. Both grade levels were covered on every spread. Design inspiration came from a single spread in a Colgate University brochure.
YE ARBOOKDISCOVERIES.COM VOLUME SIXTEEN ISSUE ONE
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EVERYBODY
STORY
HAS A
BY BRIAN WILSON
It’s such an old cliché that I don’t even like to use it with my students anymore. But it’s still true. EVEN IN THIS AGE OF TECHNOLOGY, ONE THING NEVER CHANGES; GOOD STORYTELLING WILL ALWAYS BE VALUED BY YOUR AUDIENCE. AND THE BEST STORIES ARE ALMOST ALWAYS ABOUT PEOPLE. Personality profiles can be a powerful component of any yearbook. There’s certainly an art to writing an engaging profile, but a large portion of it is good, old-fashioned practice. So I run my students through several profile exercises at the beginning of the year that help them and the book. After an initial exercise where staffers interview each other and attempt to find an angle, I get them out of their comfort zone by requiring a story written about a student chosen at random. The fun part is picking a person, and I’ve set this part up differently just about every year. The basics of this approach work remarkably well with yearbook features, too.
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Steve Hartman was famous for his CBS feature called, perhaps not surprisingly, ‘Everybody Has a Story.’ Hartman would toss a dart at a map, travel to that city, find a phonebook, and randomly call someone in it. These people inevitably all had (you guessed it!) stories. You might not want to toss sharp objects around your classroom, but you can get the same effect by, say, taping a school roster to the wall, blindfolding each staffer, spinning them around a few times, and having them weave their way up to the list with a finger pointing at a name.
Or if you’re a bit less adventurous but much more proficient with a paper-cutter, you might chop up all the names, throw ’em in a hat, and draw. After every staffer has a name, they all have to find their subject, set up good times to interview, and figure out that person’s story. I tell them that this conversation should start informally, but eventually an angle should become apparent. And a good story might take multiple interviews. The benefits are two-fold. First, of course, the students are pushed out of their comfort zones early in the year; we all know that the quicker the reporters get past that initial interview awkwardness phase, the better off we all will be. The second is that we’ve got a stockpile of personality profiles a few weeks after the year begins. They cover lots of different people and we use them in our ad section, or on theme pages, or run them in a mini-magazine.
Examples from Kismet, Waterford Kettering HS, Waterford, MI
1.
Tape a school roster to the wall.
HOW TO GET THE STORY IF YOU DON’T WANT TO THROW POINTY OBJECTS IN YOUR CLASSROOM... OSTER R L O O SCH
ER L ROST O O H C S
ER L ROST SCHOO
3.
Have them point at a name on the list and bingo! They’ve selected their subjects!
2.
Take turns blindfolding staffers. Spin them around a few times.
YE ARBOOKDISCOVERIES.COM VOLUME SIXTEEN ISSUE ONE
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UP IN
TO CAPTURE THE TRUE STORY OF THE YEAR, YOU NEED TO GET REALLY CLOSE TO YOUR SUBJECTS. I MEAN SO, YOU ARE STANDING THERE, CAMERA IN YOUR HAND, WONDERING HOW TO MAKE THIS PHOTO ASSIGNMENT INTO SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY. THE SCENE SEEMS PRETTY BORING: A CLUB MEETING WHERE EVERYBODY IS MAKING WELCOME GIFTS FOR THE FRESHMEN. HOW DO YOU FIND A MEMORABLE PHOTO IN THIS SEEMING LAME-NESS?
(with respect)
OR, YOU ARE STANDING THERE, CAMERA IN YOUR HAND, AND THE SCENE IS ELECTRIC: A PEP RALLY WHERE THE SPIRIT CLUB PRESIDENT IS MAKING THE PRINCIPAL LAUGH SO HARD THAT MILK IS COMING OUT HER NOSE. HOW DO YOU MAKE THIS PHOTO MORE THAN SIMPLE VISUAL REPORTING? THE ANSWER TO BOTH IS SIMPLE. THE ANSWER TO BOTH IS THE SAME. GET CLOSER. Sure, most of us have heard somebody recite the Robert Capa quote, “If your picture isn’t good enough, you’re not close enough.” But when you are standing there, it’s sometimes hard to convince yourself to indeed get . . . well, closer.
Sure, you could stand on the edge of the club’s meeting, snap some mindless photos and have enough pixels to fill a clubs spread. Or, you could pull out the telephoto lens at the pep rally. When you are standing there, at the club meeting and the pep rally, getting in other people’s personal space can be counter intuitive. You think, “If get close, I will make them uncomfortable. I will make myself look foolish.” But the reality is the opposite. Your subjects will most likely look joyous, inspired, intense and focused, but never boring. And that is what your subjects deserve: an energetic, bold and trustworthy photographer who gets close. Because in the life of a photojournalist, being “in-their-face” is seldom foolish, and never boring.
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PHOTO BY LUCY EDMONDS, ST. TERESA’S ACADEMY
Here’s another way to look at it: in most situations you are ultimately more respectful by getting close enough to make great photos. Your subjects are already giving you their trust by allowing you to be there with a camera. Perhaps they have even invited you into their home or personal lives. In a strange way, you owe it to them to get close and make wonderful images.
THEIR FACE BY ERIC THOMAS
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It’s a claim not every staff can make, but something important to aspire to...
..WE
DON’T MISS DEAD LINES BY AMY MORGAN
DOWNLOAD AMY’S YEARBOOK SPREAD PLAN TO HELP YOU WITH YOUR DEADLINES. VISIT HTTP://BIT.LY/OEHCHG OR SCAN THIS ENABLED TAG WITH YOUR SMARTPHONE.
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Y E A R B O O K D I S C O V E R I E S .Get C Othe M free mobile app for your phone V O L U M E S I X T E E N I S S U E http:/ O N E / gettag.mobi
(period)
I REALIZE THAT IS A BOLD STATEMENT, AND I WILL FOLLOW UP WITH A TOTALLY HONEST ADMISSION: IN MY 14 YEARS OF ADVISING, WE HAVE MISSED TWO DEADLINES. ONCE BECAUSE I WROTE THE WRONG DATE ON MY CALENDAR (DUH) AND THE OTHER TIME WHEN MY EDITOR COUNTED INCORRECTLY AND DIDN’T SEND ENOUGH PAGES (AGAIN, DUH). Out of all the valuable skills we teach in high school journalism, to me, the ability to meet deadlines is probably the most important. It is one that all students will use in their lives, no matter what field they go into. It is important to be able to do quality work, and to finish it on time.
Missing deadlines can cause a delay in the ship date of the yearbook or result in late fees on the final bill. Even without those penalties, we don’t miss deadlines because I think it is rude.”
We try to send more pages than required on the early deadlines, which gives us a little cushion if we get behind during the year. Missing deadlines can cause a delay in the ship date of the yearbook or result in late fees on the final bill. Even without those penalties, we don’t miss deadlines because I think it is rude. I don’t expect people at the plant (or the newspaper print shop) to change their schedules and plans to accommodate us.
How do we do it? Here is my annoying answer: we send the pages when they are due or, preferably, before they are due. Deadlines are not optional in my classroom, and my students have adopted that attitude as well.
Students will take whatever time you give them. I used to stay late all the time and work on Saturdays, and sometime even Sundays. Now, we have one or two worknights per deadline cycle, and they are always over by 7 p.m. During the busy final deadline and proof season, we may work on a Saturday. It took some time to train the kids, but they know when I say we are leaving at 7, I am kicking them out, turning off the lights and locking the door at 7. I usually start making announcements every 15 minutes at 6 p.m., just to give them fair warning. It does help that we have laptops available for student check out.
To make it a little easier, I always set my deadlines at least a week before the plant deadlines, and I don’t tell any of the students (Let’s hope they don’t read this!). This means that we always make the plant deadlines comfortably.
Now, not every staff member makes every deadline along the way, and not everything we send is perfect. Sometimes we rely way too much on proofs. But we don’t miss plant deadlines. Period. I wish I could say I had some secret to share or a grading system that makes all the difference, but, really, my editors learn very quickly that we are sending pages when they are due, and they figure out how to get them in shape.
OCTOBE R
1 3 1 4
OCTOBER
LINES INI-DEADdea BREAKDOWN OF M(sa dline cycle) mple 10-day
s ignment sheet (each staffer get DAY 1: Editors publish the ass web r and is posted on teache a copy, copy hangs in classroom class (again, each staffer in ar page), we review the calend ssroom and Google calendar is gets a copy, copy hangs in cla page). embedded in my teacher web story angles and photo ideas. DAY 2: Groups brainstorm for sheet due (writer, editor and DAY 3: Work day, spread plan plete). designer work together to com
OCTOBER
DAY 5: Pr ogress ch eck (spre ad meeti ngs with DAY 6: In editors). terview c heck, firs t photos d ue. DAY 7: Ro ugh draft s due. DAY 8: Re vise roug h layouts , second photos du DAY 9: W e. ork day (s pread me etings wit h editors DAY 10: F ). in projector al spreads due (c ritique…d ). isplay spr eads on
DAY 11: S end the p ages!
DAY 4: Work day
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For the most part, copyright law has remained the same for years. The reason it’s more of an issue for yearbookers today is that the internet makes everything seems accessible.
How do you know
WHAT’S
FAIR GAME and what’s not?
LOTS OF PEOPLE GET CONFUSED ABOUT COPYRIGHT AND TRADEMARK, AND THAT’S UNDERSTANDABLE AS THE NUMBER OF YEARBOOK STAFFERS, ADVISERS AND REPS WHO ARE ALSO PATENT ATTORNEYS IS MINIMAL AT BEST. But here are some simple guidelines that might provide clarity:
ENTIRE COMPANY LOGOS ARE GENERALLY OFF LIMITS unless they accompany a news story or have been provided by the corporation for advertisements for their own products. So, yes, if your local Toyota dealer buys an ad, you can use a copy of the logo the dealership provides alongside a photo of students shopping for the perfect graduation gift. And, no, you can’t use the Nike Swoosh and the theme “Just Do It.” for your cover and/or merchandising campaign. Using a copyrighted ad slogan to sell another product (like your yearbook) is verboten. It’s not that you cannot include images with logos or copyrighted products in the yearbook. It’s fair to show students with a can of Dr. Pepper, or wearing Lacoste or playing a game on their iPad; this also gives you the opportunity to localize the coverage and include more students in the yearbook. Most any reader would prefer a spread full of people and objects over a catalogue of logos or items.
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CARTOON CHARACTERS ARE COPYRIGHTED TOO. While some staffs have received permission to include images alongside news coverage on entertainment spreads, the process of receiving permission may require 8-10 weeks of daily contact and most studios/artists will not allow replication of their popular characters. If there’s a t-shirt on the market or other character merchandise for sale, taking a picture of a student with that item will allow its inclusion.
IT’S ALMOST ALWAYS WRONG TO USE IMAGES FROM THE INTERNET. Beside the fact that the images are likely to reproduce poorly because of a difference in resolution (72 dpi for web images and 300 dpi for printing), it’s illegal to capture someone’s work from the internet and publish it elsewhere. Giving the photographer credit is not enough; legally, you need their express, written permission to use the photo. In some cases, a company may release access to high resolution promotional shots for publication. Other times, the only legal way to obtain a photo of a major event will be to purchase it. Organizations like MCT Campus, Associated Press and Newscom all sell production-quality images of major news events. Because these fees may be cost prohibitive for many schools, Herff Jones produces an annual
World Yearbook which contains nearly 100 images from top entertainment, sports, fashion, technology and news events. Schools can decide to add those 16 pages to all books ordered or they might offer it as a part of certain packages from which students/parent select.
LEARNING ABOUT THE LEGAL GUIDELINES FOR PUBLISHING IS ANOTHER IMPORTANT ASPECT OF YEARBOOK EDUCATION. While no one expects the staff to become copyright gurus, they should be aware of legal limitations and strive to operate within them.
OTHER RESOURCES
Eques, Ponderosa HS, Parker, CO This staff created a time capsule of the year by stringing stories of major news/sports/ entertainment events across all index spreads. Because the images had been legally purchased by the staff, they credited the photographer and the publication of origin as well as the service from which the images had been acquired.
STUDENT PRESS LAW CENTER 1101 Wilson Blvd., Suite 1100 Arlington, VA 22209-2275 703/807-1904 splc.org
SPLC has lots of online resources and teaching materials pertaining to copyright, trademark, fair use and more, including a Yearbook Top 20 FAQ. In addition, they answer questions for student publications and advisers all day every day.
Polaris, McCluer North HS, Florissant, MO; Paragon, Oakton HS, Springfield, VA; Eurekana, Eureka HS, Eureka, MO Common phrases like “it’s what we do,” “Just saying” and others are no problem. Because “trading spaces” was a popular TV show, the staff made conscious decisions regarding type, capitalization patterns, color and graphics to make it clear they were not trying to replicate the show’s logo.
Plus, the SPLC Recently released a separate yearbook law website
WWW.YEARBOOKLAW.COM which will help staffs establish concrete copyright ownership of their yearbooks going forward (to make it less likely that outside groups could scan and then sell reproductions of the yearbook). SCAN THIS TAG OR VISIT HTTP://BIT.LY/OEHCHG TO CHECK OUT SPLC’S YEARBOOK TOP 20 FAQS OR FIND OTHER MEDIA LAW RESOURCES. Get the free mobile app for your phone
http:/ / gettag.mobi
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT BUYING NEWS PHOTOS FOR EVENTS AND ENTERTAINMENT COVERAGE: MTC CAMPUS TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES
Phone: 866/280-5210 campussales@mctinfoservices.com Teresian, St. Teresa’s Academy, Kansas City, MO Resolution’s not an issue when an image has been purchased from a legitimate source. The staff could use this dominant of the royal wedding without worrying how the photo would reproduce because they buy rights to images rather than lifting them from news sites on the internet.
NEWSCOM SALES sales@newscom.com 801/584-3900
FOR A COPY OF THE DOCUMENT HJ CUSTOMER SERVICE COMPILED ON THIS TOPIC: http://www.yearbooks.biz/ content/2/36/Yearbook_and_ Copyright_Law.pdf
YE ARBOOKDISCOVERIES.COM VOLUME SIXTEEN ISSUE ONE
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THAT’S EXACTLY WHERE YOU’LL FIND THE BEST STORIES — BENEATH THE SURFACE OF GENERAL INFORMATION THAT EVERYONE ALREADY KNOWS OR COULD GOOGLE. TELL THE READER SOMETHING HE OR SHE DOESN’T ALREADY KNOW. TELL THEM A STORY. GIVE THEM THE UNKNOWN, THE INSIDE SCOOP, THE UNTOLD STORY.
allow the interviewee to talk, to share, to tell those funny — or sometimes sad — inside stories that made the soccer, academic team or football season most memorable. In other words, listen and observe throughout the interview. Allow the interviewee to do most of the talking.
Do a little research. Become familiar with the topic for the interview. Read as much background information on the subject as possible. What would the reader WANT to know? What does the reader already know? This first step in the digging process is invaluable, as it sets the course, the direction of the interview.
Instead of trying to retell everything, sift through the interview to determine what stood out, what made a lasting impression, what came to mind first. That should be the focus, the angle. Then, just tell the story. Keep it simple. Write in a conversational way — much like you would if you were really excited and could not wait to share the story with a friend. With that enthusiasm, the story begins to write itself.
Consider this quote: “Writing which is keen and insightful begins with good interviewing.” To uncover the untold stories that will make yearbook copy come alive, ask open-ended questions which
Do become familiar with the topic. Interview thoroughly. Go through notes to find the focus. DIG for the untold stories that readers will savor for years to come.
Examples from Echoes, Daviess County HS, Owensboro, KY
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ONE OF THE MOST BENEFICIAL THINGS YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR STORIES IS TO
BY GAIL KIRKLAND
YEARBOOK
BY CORTNEY WEISMAN
WHEN YEARBOOK BECOMES PURELY PASSION.
THE 2:01 P.M. BELL RINGS AND A RUSH OF STUDENTS RUN OUT OF THE CLASSROOM TO GET TO THEIR LOCKERS AND MAKE THEIR BUSES BEFORE THEY DRIVE AWAY. ROOM 111 IS CALM AND QUIET AND YOU CAN HEAR THE HUM OF THE FAN IN THE PRINTER. SUDDENLY, ALL SENSE OF CALMNESS IS ERASED AS STUDENTS COME BOUNCING IN FROM ALL DIRECTIONS. THE ROOM FILLS WITH CHATTER AND EXCITEMENT, AND IN A FEW MINUTES, IT IS STANDING ROOM ONLY. I STAND UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROOM TO GET EVERYONE’S ATTENTION. “At first you are a part of yearbook, but then it becomes a part of you.” Those words are usually one of the first sentences out of my mouth. I am always answered back by a sea of awkward blank stares from new students and heads nodding with giant grins from the previous staff members. This is how I start every first yearbook meeting of the school year. These words shared with me by my very first editors in chief could not be any more true for our publication. It is these words that have taken our yearbook from a mere picture book to a nationally recognized book — one of the first New York state books to place in NSPA’s Best of Show competition, and one of few books produced on an afterschool schedule to receive such an honor. By October, the classroom that was once standing room only is inhabited by a core group of about 15 to 20 student editors who have signed a contract devoting themselves to yearbook for the school year. In the years that I advised our after-school yearbook, we found that the secret to our success was family. Yearbook becomes a part of these students. It usually sneaks up on them when they least expect it and room 111 becomes their home away from home. We have had good years, bad years and great years. What made the bad years so bad? A lack of communication and a lack of family. So in order to never have a bad year again, there are a number of things we do each year to make sure we are in a positive, fun work environment because at the end of the day, we each need to like being in room 111. To my students, 111 means family.
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WHAT WE DO TO MAKE OUR STAFF FEEL LIKE A FAMILY:
CLUB
Signed contract with student expectations, including a calendar of all work night dates and deadlines. It is very rare that we have a surprise day that we have to stay after school and work. We stick to our schedule.
FOOD! MY STUDENTS ARE HIGHLY MOTIVATED BY FOOD.
INSIDE JOKES
Weird fun — students have been found in the room doing karaoke, dancing, face painting, Jersey Shore makeovers, photobooth fun and more — but they know when it is time for fun, and when it is time to work. Sometimes they do need some help getting reeled back in.
CONSTANT PRAISE, POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT SET UP AN AFTER-SCHOOL SCHEDULE. WE ALL STAY AFTER TOGETHER, NOT SOME STUDENTS ON SOME DAYS, AND SOME ON OTHERS. As the adviser, it is also important to model what being a good leader is. Don’t be scared to get your hands dirty as well.
YEARBOOK ALUMNI REUNIONS FUN TRIPS — THERE IS NOTHING LIKE STAFF BONDING AT A STATE OR NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL JOURNALISM CONVENTION. STORY TIME WHEN THINGS GET STRESSFUL (SOME FAVORITES: THE TRUE STORY OF THE THREE LITTLE PIGS, DON’T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS, THE PIGEON FINDS A HOTDOG)
SECRET SNOWMAN (AKA SECRET SANTA THE WEEK BEFORE HOLIDAY VACATION.)
PAPER PLATE AWARDS — ON DISTRIBUTION DAY, WE HAVE A FAMILY BREAKFAST IN THE MORNING AND THE UNDERCLASSMEN HAND OUT PAPER PLATE AWARDS TO THE SENIORS HONORING THEM IN OFF-THE-WALL AWARD CATEGORIES.
THANKSGIVING POTLUCK DINNER — WE EVEN BRING IN A TURKEY AND SAY WHAT WE ARE THANKFUL FOR.
Snack days — each student has a different day to bring in a fun and exciting snack. We have had everything from potato pancakes to magic pop and Nutella. Yummm!!!
Family dinners — on work nights, the tables get pushed together and we all eat together like one big family. 111 DAY — ON JAN. 11 (1-11) WE CELEBRATE OUR CLASSROOM AND OUR FAMILY ALL DAY WITH LOTS OF YUMMY FOOD.
Clothing — in the fall we order specially designed hooded sweatshirts, in the spring we order special distribution day T-shirts.
WORK HARD, BUT PLAY HARD. ALWAYS LEAVE ROOM FOR FUN. CLAIRE BOEGLIN NORTH CENTRAL HS, INDIANAPOLIS, IN 2010 YERD FROM FALL JEA/NSPA IN KANSAS CITY
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IT’S ALL ABOUT THEM. THE BOOK SHOULD BE EASY TO READ. CONSIDER THOSE WHO WILL BE USING YOUR BOOK. EVERYTHING YOU DO MUST BE A
READER SERVICE BY LINDA PUNTNEY
YOU’VE HEARD IT BEFORE AND MAYBE PAID LIP SERVICE TO THE CONCEPT, BUT IN TODAY’S WORLD OF MULTIPLE DISTRACTIONS AND ALTERNATIVE OPPORTUNITIES, REMEMBERING THE READER IS KING SHOULD BE YOUR MANTRA.
It doesn’t matter how compelling the story might be or how awesome the theme concept, if the content is hard for the reader to consume, the efforts of your staff will go unnoticed. Consider this guide to make your 2012 yearbook a reader-friendly experience.
CHECK, CHECK AND DOUBLE CHECK Contents should be specific so finding the great material on the inside is easy. If you have a two-section book, be sure you tell the reader where they can find sports or, academics or spirit week coverage. Don’t forget to double check the contents listing to be sure it is accurate. Nothing destroys credibility faster than turning to page 52 where Sports should begin and finding yourself in the middle of the chess club coverage.
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SPINE RULES The name of the book and the year belong on the front lid so the reader knows from the get-go what is being read. The name of the book, year, volume number and school belong on the spine so when placed on a shelf the book is easily distinguished.
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QUOTE, UNQUOTE Captions should have a definite link to the photo whether the caption touches the photo it describes or is part of a caption cluster. Be certain the caption gives the reader information that is not obvious in the photo and provides a follow-up to the photo action. Including a direct quote from the center of interest or about the center of interest is a great reader service and provides another opportunity for more voices to appear in the book.
4
KEEP SCORE Every sport should have a scoreboard listing the opponent, the score and the season record. Having that information with the team picture makes it easy for the reader to know how well the team did that year.
5
DON’T OVERDO IT Drop caps, initial letters or copy starters are best when the letter is not separated from the rest of the word. A beautiful design is less so if the reader has to search for the complete word.
lle, NC endersonvi rson HS, H West Hende Westwind,
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n The Clan, McLea
HS, McLean, VA
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PAGINATE Folio lines (page numbers) on every page, or at a minimum on the right-hand pages help the reader find their way through a book. Don’t make the reader do the math to figure out where a topic is located.
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TEACHER APPRECIATION It’s a reader service and a more complete story of the year when the information next to faculty pictures includes name, subjects taught and clubs sponsored or teams coached. Some schools even include where the faculty member attended college. Again, this is just good reporting when it comes to the record-keeping function of the book.
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INDEX EVERYTHING A good index will include one alphabetical listing of everything that appears in the yearbook, not just the students. Many schools distinguish non-student items by placing them in bold face or color. An additional service is a topic index that runs as a sidebar in addition to the normal listing.
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NOBODY LIKES TO SQUINT Part of the record-keeping function of a yearbook involves including group and team pictures that are cropped so faces are identifiable and not so small they really can’t be seen. Identifying captions should include clear indicators of where to start looking at the photo. So use Front Row or Bottom Row rather than Row 1 and Back Row or Top Row rather than Row 5. Captions that give first initial and last name only tell us just part of the story so be sure group and team captions use complete names.
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JUST THE FACTS, MA’AM In addition to theme-related material, the title page should give the name (title) of the book, year, volume number, name of school, complete address, phone number, website URL, school population broken down by class, faculty and staff. Some schools are even including the athletic or activities conference in which the school competes.
braltar, MI rlson HS, Gi Ebb Tide, Ca
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The Prowl, Powell MS , Littleton, CO
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10 e, AZ del Sol HS, Temp Sunset, Corona
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Wingspan, James C. Enochs HS, Modesto, CA The strong horizontal feel begins with the flowing photo package and is accentuated by both the green bar with its all-coverage device and the horizontal type package.
THERE’S ALMOST CONSENSUS
about what makes a yearbook look contemporary. Wide, white margins, intentional use of negative space and multiple coverage packages are common in great books from coast to coast. But some books are pushing the envelope to achieve a look that
FEELS EVEN
FRESHER BY PAUL ENDER
IF YOU WERE TO LOOK AT DOZENS OF TOP YEARBOOKS, YOU’D LIKELY FIND ALL KINDS OF SIMILARITIES.
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repetitious — look. Think identity rather than identical.
It’s common for the best books to limit their fonts (often to one large family with lots of choices in weights and widths). Sans serif type is everywhere, even as body type — and it’s more likely that you’ll see a single font with both sans and serif versions than ever before.
Here’s another difference you might note in some of the yearbooks that break the mold. Hundreds (if not thousands) of books have mastered the use of layered coverage. The stories told in today’s yearbooks are more personal, provide more points of view (more voices) and reveal more fun/interesting details than ever before.
More than ever, talented type designers are adapting headline styles from magazines and other publications. Rather than add more fonts, the emphasis is on varied capitalization patterns, alignment, color, width, weight and placement. And, like the best of magazines, rather than create a headline design that repeats over and over throughout the section, excellent yearbooks repackage elements for a familiar — not
Whether your supporting coverage is visual (photos or charts) in emphasis or verbal (any kind of copy treatment), the influence of magazine design is obvious. There’s more variety in the kinds of stories told as well. And there’s definitely less of the traditional photo cluster that creates a pinwheeled effect by circling out from the main image.
Y E A R B O O K D I S C O V E R I E S . C O M VOLUME SIXTEEN ISSUE ONE
The same would be true when it comes to the dominant photo package on each spread. That long-popular look of photos pinwheeling out from the large photo at the heart of the spread has been replaced in some books by magazine-y clusters creating strong horizontal movement, powerful ells and other interesting shapes.
When you’re looking to make your designs feel different, remember to seek inspiration from current publications and to look for ideas that push you beyond the techniques and devices you’re already comfortable with. Change can be good!
Teleios, Mount Paran Christian School, Kennesaw, GA Choosing a single font with lots of weights provides for a variety of distinctive headline designs, but adding the slab serif and narrow versions (also with lots of emphases) means even more options while maintaining a cohesive look.
Laconian, Salem HS, Salem, VA Designing magazinelike spreads with an array of stories allows departmental coverage of academics to highlight multiple events and activities and almost guarantees visual variety. The mix of extreme shapes created by the mods of supporting coverage complements the truly dominant story package on the left.
Nugget, Cupertino HS, Cupertino, CA Five additional layers of reference/coverage surround the main photo and copy packages, which were strategically aligned to create the powerful horizontal feel.
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Between the seven of them, they have advised more than 160 yearbooks with Herff Jones. They’ve won Pioneers and Gold Keys, Crowns and Pacemakers and local, state and regional awards galore. Herff Jones’ National Yearbook Advisers of the Year share
MARY KAY DOWNES
CHANTILLY HS | CHANTILLY, VA 2007 JEA ADVISER OF THE YEAR
“You have to build the culture of yearbook. Think about what you want and establish guidelines that promote that. And remember the students are really looking to you to see what you expect of them.”
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“It’s so important to be open to innovation. You don’t have to do it the way it’s been done before. It’s OK to put some new rings on it.”
PHOTO BY MIKE SIMONS, CORNING PAINTED POST WEST HS
MY BEST ONE PIECE OF ADVICE FOR A NEW ADVISER: “Build a solid relationship with your rep, and begin to network immediately by joining JEA, CSPA and NSPA and going to their workshops and conventions. The job is too big to go it alone and your rep and your adviser friends can help you immensely!”
PHOTO BY MIKE SIMONS, CORNING PAINTED POST WEST HS
ADVICEFORA
PETE LeBLANC
ANTELOPE HS | ANTELOPE, CA 2006 JEA ADVISER OF THE YEAR
ADVISERS ADVICE I RECEIVED AND FOUND VALUABLE: “It took me no time at all to see this truth: It’s all about relationships. When you make your school and your principal look good, your principal will be good to your program.”
PHOTO BY TERRY O’KEEFE, COLFAX HS
R
PAUL ENDER
“Always design from inspiration. You can’t just sit down at the computer and starting adding elements to a spread. You need to work to build your visual memory and you should have a file of ideas you like. Then, when it’s time to create, you can match your needs with answers from your idea file and adapt your inspirations into designs that really work for you.”
“You have to have some system to track progress. Whether it’s on the computer, on the editors’ clipboard or on the wall, it needs to be clear to everyone what’s due, who’s done and who could use a little help. We also used our charts to celebrate the completion of each spread.”
INDEPENDENCE HS | SAN JOSE, CA (RETIRED 2000) 1996 JEA ADVISER OF THE YEAR
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“I am always telling new advisers to take advantage of the tools out there to help advisers: from summer workshops, the HJ curriculum books and the local reps to the cool FAQs on yearbooks.biz, the national conventions featuring incredible sessions and the JEA bookstore which has resources for everyone’s situation, advisers should never feel as if they don’t have a support system.”
PHOTO BY GRAHAM BECK, BELLARMINE COLLEGE PREPARATORY
“The best yearbook advice I received was to let the students do the book themselves. If I trained them correctly, my job was to step aside and allow them to grow into their roles on staff. “
KATHY DALY
SMOKY HILL HS | AURORA, CO (RETIRED 2006) 1998 JEA ADVISER OF THE YEAR
DAN AUSTIN
PHOTO BY TERRY O’KEEFE, COLFAX HS
“I always tell advisers to recruit Honors freshmen. And I think that’s a key to building a great program. Start them young and allow staffers to grow with the program.”
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CASA ROBLE HS | ORANGEVALE, CA 2006 JEA ADVISER OF THE YEAR
“The best advice I ever received was to print everything out at 100% and put it on the wall. It DOES look different on screen than it will in your book, and you need to make your final design decisions based on what will actually be printed.”
NANCY HASTINGS
PHOTO BY MAGGIE THOMAS, MUNSTER HS
MUNSTER HS | MUNSTER, IN (RETIRED 2010) 1996 JEA ADVISER OF THE YEAR
“Since most advisers are the only journalism teacher in building, they find little school support. Don’t handle problems and stress alone. Attend regional, state and national conventions. These associations provide networks with those who share your passions and stuggles. Ask questions. There’s always someone who’s been there and has suggestions. Take in a couple of sessions to learn something new. Find out what others are doing and see if it can improve your situation. Judge a competition to discover the trends and skills that students are capable of producing. You’ll find that you gain more confidence as you become more involved.”
“Rome wasn’t built in a day... Don’t try to change or ‘fix’ too many problems at once, or you’ll set yourself up for failure. Pick a maximum of three changes or improvements that you want to make in your yearbook and work to accomplish these changes. Next year, pick a maximum three more... your students will accept these as their own changes and morale stays high. Sending your publication away for a critique helps you narrow in on what needs to be improved.” LYNN STRAUSE
PHOTO BY MIKE SIMONS, CORNING PAINTED POST WEST HS
EAST LANSING HS | EAST LANSING, MI (RETIRED 2007) 2001 JEA ADVISER OF THE YEAR
“Have fun and BE FLEXIBLE. Yearbook is hard work. If you and your staff don’t make an effort to enjoy it, it won’t be as rewarding.”
“Look and learn. Be a sponge. Make an effort to meet people. Ask a lot of questions. Pay attention to discussions of yearbook topics no matter when/where they take place.”
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CAMP!
GREETINGS FROM
BY THE NUMBERS: SUMMER WORKSHOPS
39 491 1 897 ATTENDEES
WORKSHOPS
SCHOOLS
(SPONSORED BY 168 HERFF JONES REPS)
WORKSHOPS RANGED FROM
1- 5
3
(18%)
SUN.
MON.
TUES.
E JUN WED.
. THURS
FRI.
DA CANA SUN.
MON.
JULY WE
TUES.
D.
(5%)
THURS.
FRI.
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WORKSHO PS IN
SAT.
SORTPRATES OVINCES
SAT.
DAYS, BUT
DAY
SUN.
MON.
STTHURS. AUGU WED.
TUES.
FRI.
SAT.
WORKSHOPS WERE MOST COMMON WHAT ATTENDEES LEARNED:
INTERVIEWING SKILLS
INDESIGN
THEME DEVELOPMENT CONCEPTUAL DEVELOPMENT CAPTIONING REQUIREMENTS COVERAGE STANDARDS RULE OF THIRDS
25+ YEARS
HOW COVERAGE AFFECTS BOOK SALES
RULES INNOVATIVE COVERAGE STRATEGIES CREATING A OF DESIGN VISUAL VOICE
HIERARCHYDOMINANCE
CONSISTENCY
TAKING BETTER PHOTOGRAPHS
PHOTOSHOP HOW TO BE A BETTER ADVISER
LEADERSHIP SKILLS
17 % 25 % 58 %
YEARBOOK TERMINOLOGY DIFFERENT KINDS OF THEMES
eDESIGN
11-20 YEARS
1-10 YEARS
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Students know some ADVANTAGES OF BEING ON THE YEARBOOK STAFF. Staffers are aware of what’s going on at school. They have access to GREAT PHOTO AND COMPUTER EQUIPMENT. YEARBOOKERS LEARN REAL-LIFE SKILLS and get to LEAVE THEIR MARK by CREATING A BOOK THAT LASTS FOREVER. But there are even more great answers to the question
WHY YEARBOOK? I do a lot of recruiting for MBAs and we get a number of journalists who want to transition to business. When I look at the journalism degree, I see that as someone who is driven, detailoriented, smart, intellectually curious and has good writing skills. I know that this person comes with those fundamental skills.” THAO TRAN
General Manager, WaPo Labs at The Washington Post Company Editor-in-Chief 1993 - Joseph George MS; San Jose, CA Editor-in-Chief 1996, 1997 - The American, Independence HS; San Jose, CA Production Editor 2000 - Yale Daily News, Yale University BA Political Science - Yale University 2001 MBA - Stanford University 2006
Need to help parents or administrators understand the lasting value of yearbook? Our brochure and video make the powerful message clear. Staff size affected by changing requirements? Recruiting an amazing staff has never been easier; these fun materials help students understand all of the skills they will learn in yearbook.
WATCH OUR INFORMATIVE VIDEO, WHY YEARBOOK?, THROUGH THIS TAG OR ON OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL AT: WWW.YOUTUBE. COM/HERFFJONESYEARBOOKS Get the free mobile app for your phone
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